Selective call receivers are radio frequency receivers which selectively receive messages. Conventionally, a selective call receiver examines a selective call signal to determine whether the receiver has been addressed. When an address assigned to the receiver is detected, the selective call receiver decodes a selective call message. The user is alerted that a message has been received and the message can thereafter be presented, either as a voice message or a numeric or alphanumeric displayed message. The message may be displayed on a conventional display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD). It is desirable that selective call receivers be portable and, consequently, most selective call receivers have LCDs of limited size. Additionally, most selective call receivers have limited room for user input controls.
More recently, users of selective call receivers desire additional features, such as reception of information services, while maintaining the desire for small portable receivers. Information services are services which provide regularly updated messages, such as news services (UPI), financial services (Dow Jones Stock Reports), or sports services. One such information services selective call system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,491.
A user can subscribe to several information services and receive information on many topics. Each topic may consist of several screens (i.e. information capable of being displayed on the LCD at one time). To view a screen of information, the user manipulates the limited number of user input controls to reach the screen. This manipulation could consist of numerous activations of user controls. If the screen displays information of concern to the user, the user must either have the screen displayed continuously, thereby losing the ability to view the information of other screens, or continually activate the user controls a tedious number of times to navigate back and forth among the screens.
Thus, what is needed is a method and apparatus for selectively allowing a user quick access to a screen or screens of information on a regular basis.